NEWS
More than half (54 per cent) of computer users admit to using someone else's wi-fi without permission, research reveals.
Wireless from A to Z
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A is for Antivirus
B is for Bluetooth
C is for The Cloud
D is for dotMobi
E is for Email
F is for FMC
G is for GPS
H is for HSDPA
I is for i-mode
J is for Japan Air
K is for Korea
L is for LBS
M is for M2M
N is for NFC
O is for Operating systems
P is for Pubs
Q is for QoS
R is for Roaming
S is for Satellite
T is for TV
U is for UMTS
V is for Virgin
W is for WiMax
X is for XDA
Y is for Yucca
Z is for Zigbee
Many internet-enabled homes fail to secure their wireless connection properly with passwords and encryption, allowing others to steal internet access rather than pay an ISP, according to IT security company Sophos which carried out the 560-strong survey.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, said borrowing wi-fi internet access may feel like a victimless crime but it deprives ISPs of revenue.
And if you hop onto your next door neighbour's wireless broadband connection to download movies and music from the net, chances are you are also slowing down their internet access and impacting on their download limit, Cluley added.
Dishonestly using an electronics communications service with the intent to avoid paying is breaking the law - and it's something police are increasingly taking seriously.
Comments
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1. anonymous
thickos should secure it then eh?
2. MikeW
Please don't print these meaningless stories - the sample is a) small b) very selective.
No generalisations possible.
3. anonymous
Um, why does everyone assume an unsecured network is that way by accident? I leave mine open just so people can use it. Complaining to the police about someone "stealing" your unsecured Internet access is like complaining that your neighbors are "stealing" from you when the smell of your rose bushes wafts into their windows.
4. EBGB
Oh no! It "deprives ISPs of revenue"! Are these the same ISPs who charge huge amounts of money for connections that rarely run anywhere near the advertised speeds? And who provide such appalling service to anyone with the temerity to move house or change provider?
I'm sorry, but if they're stupid enough to provide the great British public with automatically unsecured routers as part of their "service", then it's only to be expected that anyone with an iota of initiative will think about taking advantage.
ISPs - Don't complain about a problem you've had a hand in creating.
Users - Don't complain about people taking advantage of your naivety. You wouldn't leave your front door wide open when you're not standing in front of it, so why leave your wireless connections unsecured?
5. anonymous
True. It is quite funny though.
6. anonymous
Was listening to an article on the radio about this and someone from "get safe online" was describing what needs to be done to secure your network and in fairness most home users wouldn't know how to do this or even where to start. You can get details off www.getsafeonline.org but having looked at this most home users would still have no clue.
Would it not be logical to look to the equipment suppliers/manufacturers to make the equipment secure to begin with, although this would probably prevent most home users from being able to use it.
Simple solution - don't bother with wireless networking at home unless you know what you are doing (or have someone who knows what they are doing set it up for you).
I guarantee no one can get onto my home network without me allowing them to - no wireless.
7. Ollie Clark
Surely if you advertise your unsecured wireless network to people by broadcasting it's name and the fact that it's unsecured, you're inviting them to use it.
If I stick a tap outside my gate with a sign on it saying "Drinking Water" I wouldn't expect the police to arrest anyone drinking from it. Why is wireless any different?
8. Graham Coles
I hope you listened to that article on the radio on your *own* radio :-0
Otherwise you'll have the radio stations complaining about you and the radio owner reporting you to the police for listening to it. Clearly it should be a crime if you don't stick you fingers in your ears because they can't make the effort to use headphones.
Oh, and the same goes for wireless networking. Perhaps we could have another law to prevent people broadcasting unsecured wireless networking into other peoples houses?
9. anonymous
From within my house, I can detect six wireless networks - my own WEP-secured one, and five others. Three of these are similarly WEP enabled, but two are unsecured. Whilst I've never connected to either of them (honestly, officer), there's effectively nothing to stop me doing so.
My question is: how can the police, who have declared such an act a 'crime', possibly detect that it has taken place or who perpetrated it? They may just have told everyone about 'the perfect crime'....
And of course, we will all search for unsecured access points now that we know how widespread it is and how difficult it is for all but the most stupid of us to get caught!
10. anonymous
I leave my home WiFi unlocked so people do have the use of it.
In my office I secure it so that it is private.
An unsecured WAP should be, by default, public and no offence committed by using it.
11. anonymous
Come on, it IS a victimless crime. Or rather, it shouldn't be a crime at all. Like the earlier comment, I leave my internet connection network unsecured so anyone nearby can use it, though my actual network is very secure. Partly this is community payback for all those unsecured wifi networks I used on my travels before hotspots became common.
My ISP isn't going to sell a connection to the salesman who parks outside my house to check his email (no htspots near here) and if my neighbour were to decide to sign up with my ISP his signals will go down my cable anyway. If I had to secure the connection I'd just invite the neighbours in.
These days anything that might reduce the opportunity for someone to make a fast buck is criminalised. Its about time the focus was on making it a crime to rip off joe public.
12. TP
I recognise the point people make regarding "stealing" bandwidth, but tell me how this differs from the someone plugging their mobile/laptop into power sockets in departure lounges, hotel reception areas, coffee shops etc. Never heard people complaining about that (this is more akin to stealing as you are going to have to pay, someone else will), might this be because we all have done it?
13. Simon Allen
I agree that this is a non-story and wireless with encryption can still be broken.
The manufacturers and retailers wanted to make more money by selling neat little gizmos that work out of the box. They do work out of the box and 99.9% of folks would not even be aware that others are using their bandwidth.
Is their bandwidth being hammered by their neighbours? Probably not. Here and there a teenager will be logged on to three networks as he BitTorrents and plays games.
So what? Caveat emptor.
14. Karen Challinor
I seriously doubt any silicon.com reader is running an unsecured wifi network
unless they are running it via a proxy server that turns web pages upside down, translates any text into klingon, puts large black bars over the rude bits on images or just makes them fuzzy
it doesn't take much to make a technical bod happy, and torturing people who try to steal wifi is one way
15. Chris
I'm one of those home users that has not secured their WiFi Router (deliberately) - and NO ONE is stealing anything from me.--I want others to use it....I am paying my ISP for a broadband / WiFi service - and I'm using it to it's max in this way - when I need the full bandwith for myself - I just "throttle" other piggyback users!!
I have not deprived the ISP of their revenue - in fact I checked their Ts & Cs on this subject b4 signing up with them - and I don't mind sharing what I don't use!
In fact I have gone so far as to even register it as a "Free WiFi hotspot" - this is no different then someone owning a river and letting people canoe down it!
I am so fed up with IT Security firms/IT Media Mags talking about "stealing" - and demonising those who make use of open WiFi hotspots!
16. Tom Rowland
Depriving ISPs of revenue. Complete nonsense.
The original concept was for you to provide wi-fi in your part of your street and I would do the same in mine and then everybody could use it.
It is only in security crazed Britain that service providers have got away with convincing gullible consumers that a minimal threat requires private networks to be hidden behind toytown encryption, which in anycase is easily cracked by the determined.
The irony is that if they had encouraged a universal free service they would have boosted their collective revenues massively. As it is all their investment will soon be made redundant.
17. Richard Percival
I think the analogy of the unsecured network with broadcast SSID and the tap labelled "drinking water" very apt. And my Linksys router has a "DHCP Active IP table" which lists the name of all network users, So if I want I can take a picture (log the MAC address) of any user who comes to take a drink
18. Simon Curry
Well I have a a FON access point so I allow outside access (securely!).
No symapthy for ISPs - the good ones are unlimited download selling QoS rather than poor facility.
I know several people/companies that have installed open access wi-fi. Something you can find in London right in the centre. If I was in London I would do it - I'm fed up by the RF "cloud" by created by companies charging excessive prices for access.
Security issues are different if you have an open access point you need to firewall it from the rest of your network. Manufactures are not good at helping the DIY computer users leaving it to the resellers. Resellers get a hard time because people want internet prices and support. I had a chap on the phone bought on ebay and expected me to supply support "because you sell that manufacturer".
Free lunch anybody!
19. GALLEY SLAVE#41
Some wise man said "the law is an ass"
or is that ARSE.
And I think we all agree.
20. Hugh Kennedy
I move around a lot for my assignments. It is very expensive setting up WiFI when contracts are 6-12 months minimum (same for a lot of 3G). If I can trace who has an available access point, I will try to make a private arrangement to share it. Cheap for both of us and no long term contract to leave dangling when you move on.